September 11th
by AuraWielder
Summary: One-shot. Mario and Luigi travel back to their home country and pay respect to the 9/11 and to their father who died. A tribute to the September 11, 2001 attacks.


9/11

This is the author AuraWielder here, and I'm a United States citizen. As part of my country, I feel a need to dedicate something to the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001. This is probably going to be a controversial piece from me (as well as my first Mario story), but know that I, in no way will disrespect the 3,000 lives that were lost.

* * *

><p>In New York City, standing quietly in front of what was now two gardens were two lone figures, staring up into the sky above.<p>

So much happened on this day. So many things changed. So many lives taken…

The red capped man looked down from the sky and to his right, facing a green capped figure slightly taller than him. Both peered into each other's hearts and silently wept.

"Dad." teared the red capped plumber. "Why? Why did this ever have to happen? How could it happen? It's still hard to believe, even after 10 years. You and so many others were taken before your time for something so ridiculous. Stupid. Horrible. It was for vengeance." 3,000 lives were lost. It was an act of terrorism that even the Koopa King couldn't top.

Osama. Osama bin Laden. That was the name of a man Mario would never forget. Many, many lives were ruined and destroyed because of this man. He had no heart and lacked any conscience. Osama bin Laden made Bowser look like a complete saint. After all, not even Bowser had the heart to kill 3,000 people… just for revenge against a country he hated. Sure, Bowser was not on the best of terms with the Mushroom Kingdom, but even he could never perform an act so sickening. Even if bin Laden was dead now, it did nothing to ease the agony Mario felt for his father and the thousands of lives lost.

As the brothers looked into the sky again, both of them could easily visualize the Twin Towers and the horrors that happened within them on September 11, 2001.

Mario and Luigi both remembered that day ever so clearly. That day started out sunny and hopeful. It started out as the kind of day where you thought nothing could go wrong.

Everything went wrong that day.

Mario and Luigi attended to the business in their plumbing shop as usual. Nothing at the shop was out of the ordinary. The duo was in the back of the shop, splitting a sandwich for breakfast and watching a few cartoons on TV until the shop opened at 9:00.

Both of the brothers even remember what was in the sandwich they shared.

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Mario and Luigi could never touch a BLT for years after that.

When the news report interrupted the usual marathon of cartoons Mario and Luigi watched, what it was showing was too hard to even attempt to believe. Because you didn't want to believe it.

All of New York City and the entire country were silent as they witnessed one of the worst tragedies to ever become known.

A plane had run into the Twin Towers, setting them ablaze. And Mario's father was in there.

The duo slowly walked outside of the shop and gazed at the sky.

It was a nightmare. A nightmare too hard to believe, even when the proof was in front of you. A nightmare that you wished hadn't come true.

But yet, it had.

As the Twin Towers continued to burn, hordes upon hordes of people ran by Mario and Luigi. Men, women, children, white, black, short, tall… every single one of them afraid.

Mario and Luigi tried to look through the crowd and spot their father, thinking he might have made it out, however slim the possibility.

More people ran by. Even after 30 minutes, hundreds and hundreds of people raced by the brothers. Mario and Luigi looked up to the Twin Towers and took note of where the plane hit. It was high up in the Tower, perhaps somewhere between the 70th and 90th floors. Anybody on the floors hit or above stood 0% chance of surviving.

People could be seen on the windows of the Twin Towers, ready to jump. For them, it was better to hit the concrete and die immediately that it was to slowly burn to their inevitable death inside.

Fortunately, Mario's father worked at a much lower floor than where the plane hit, on the 47th floor. Mario and Luigi could only pray their father could get out.

The brothers had a small glimmer, a small ray of hope that their father could get out alive. Their hope slowly began to grow as the plumbers relied on that possibility.

And within only a few minutes, all of that hope came crumbling down.

Along with the Twin Towers.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

Crumble. Crumble. Crash.

In only a few minutes, what were once mighty towers now rested as a pile of debris. And some of that debris was flying towards them.

The brothers quickly ran back into their shop, locked the door and waited it out as debris and dust clouds swept through the streets of New York City.

"M-Mario?" whispered the green capped plumber.

"Yes?"

"I-I'm scared."

Mario began to tear up. "Me too, Luigi. Me too."

The two brothers approached each other and shared a long, comforting embrace as tears poured down their faces.

* * *

><p><em>10 Years Later<em>

The brothers' father never made it out of the South Tower and his body was never found. He was crushed, along with thousands of others under several tons of debris.

That debris was now gone. Where the Twin Towers once stood were now two beautiful rectangular pools, and surrounding them was a beautiful forest of trees. The memorial dedicated to the September 11, 2001 attacks opened today, known as 'Reflecting Absence'.

The absence of three thousand people from New York City. Peach, Daisy, Yoshi and even Bowser had come to New York City to pay their respects to the deceased.

All five of them now stood side by side, holding each other's hands. Even Bowser was holding Mario's hand and had no complaints.

Mario spoke up.

"On this day ten years ago, a tragic event happened. On September 11, 2001, 3,000 lives were taken from New York City. Many of those people were our friends… one of them was our father. Today, he sits in heaven with my mother, both of them waiting for the day that we will reunite. We have come so far since that day. Osama bin Laden is dead now and while I'm glad he is, it can never change what happened. May God bless the souls of those who were lost on that tragic day."

The red capped plumber looked up to the sky and closed his eyes.

"We will never forget…"

* * *

><p><em>Super Mario Bros. (c) Nintendo<em>


End file.
